ST LUKE'S AWARDED HEINEKEN® BUSINESS

Everyone at St Luke’s is very pleased to announce that we are now working with HEINEKEN UK on their Heineken^® beer brand.  We are already hard at work on several campaigns for Spring 2014 including the activation of The Heineken^® Cup final in May. 

This is a particularly exciting new client for us as it adds to an already strong relationship which we have been building up over the last nine years.  David Lette, Premium Brands Director at HEINEKEN said: “St Luke’s have impressed us over the years with their outstanding work for Strongbow.  They were the natural choice of partner to help us meet aggressive growth targets for Heineken^® in the UK.”

                 

                 

We are really excited by this latest win and pleased to see some beer join the cider range currently on offer at Friday drinks and nibbles.

Strongbow asks whether you can 'EARN IT.' in Rio challenge

Could you take on five of Brazil’s best female footballers in a five-a-side match? That is the challenge that will be facing an every-day group of friends from the UK, and that group could include you!

St Luke’s has been working with our client, Strongbow to build upon the ‘EARN IT.’ campaign, which we’ve helped develop over the last couple of years. The campaign, which is split up across several phases, will include a recruitment campaign, a selection and training day and of course, a trip to Rio to play five of Brazil’s best female footballers.

(Click image for 'EARN IT.' Rio challenge)

The first stage of the Rio Challenge is the ‘recruitment phase’, where we’re using social media, a TV ad, and a partnership with PowerLeague five-a-side centres to find 20 teams of friends who will be picked to come to the trial day. From the trial day, one team of five friends will be selected to go to Rio to challenge the girls. However, this won’t be any ‘selection day’, as the teams will have the guidance of a celebrity management team made up of football experts. This management team will also be flying out to Rio to help the team take on the girls.

Do you think you have what it takes to take on the girls in Brazil? Then what are you waiting for? Apply now via social media or through the Strongbow ‘EARN IT.’ website.

Everyone at St Luke’s is really proud of the great work being produced with Strongbow, and obviously, very excited for the upcoming campaign, which should bring in the Brazilian summer in style.

Banish the grey and Bring the Colour with Very.co.uk

As we slowly, and optimistically move towards a bright and colourful Spring and Summer, everyone at St Luke’s is delighted to announce the recent launch of our brand new Spring/Summer campaign, ‘Bring The Colour’ for our client Very.co.uk.

The campaign which features brand ambassador Fearne Cotton is initially set in an entirely grey scene, depicting the cold, dreary winter season. That is until Fearne Cotton steps out of a grey taxi wearing a vibrant pink dress from the new Colour Pop spring range. Steadily, the colour is transcended across other girls wearing the new trend and looking incredible in their bright colourful outfits against others, who are still stuck in their grey, winter clothes. By the end of the advert we see the trend has created a snowball effect and everyone is now wearing the new collection, where the advert ends with the line ‘Bring the Colour’.

 

 (Click image for 'Bring the Colour' Advert)

The ‘Bring the Colour’ TV campaign for Very.co.uk will be supported by a full range of communication channels, including print, digital, social media and outdoor.

Jon Owen, Retail Director for Very said, “Very.co.uk is on a roll. We are purposefully stepping up our fashion credentials with ever better on-trend collections and super cool advertising.”

Everyone at St Luke’s is incredibly proud of the campaign for Very.co.uk. If you wish to see some exclusive behind the scene footage from the shoot, then please follow the link here.

Welcoming isme to the St Luke's fold

We're delighted to announce that we've been appointed by existing client Shop Direct to handle the advertising account for their isme brand, following a recent competitive pitch.

There's no time to waste, as we're working on an exciting advertising campaign for Spring/Summer 2014.

isme is primarily targeted at 50+ women and will see us partnering with their brand ambassador Carol Vorderman in this campaign.

Jon Owen, Retail Brand Director at Shop Direct, said: “St Luke’s impressed us with their audience insight and with creative work that both builds the brand and works hard commercially.” Our CEO Neil added, “Being awarded isme is a testament to the outstanding results we have seen from our Very and Littlewoods campaigns and plays to our strength of managing brand portfolios. We can’t wait to set a new agenda for this exciting young brand.”

It's been fabulous news for our work for Shop Direct recently, and here's to continuing with new work on another great brand.

Welcome to the family, isme!

More Adwatch success for Littlewoods

Following on from the success prior to Christmas with our Shop Direct clients Littlewoods and Very.co.uk both being announced in Marketing Magazine’s overall “Adwatch of the Year,” the New Year has brought further success for Littlewoods.

Data taken from during the Christmas period placed our Littlewoods advert 6th for most recalled ad (54%), but it also placed 8th in the ranking of most liked TV commercials (18%). 

To put this achievement in to perspective, only four other brands made it on to both lists - John Lewis, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Asda.

The Littlewoods Christmas advert, which saw Myleene Klass helping out at Santa’s grotto, alongside fellow brand ambassador Mark Wright, depicted the essence of Christmas, with fun, music, presents and of course, Santa. Combined with the strategic combination of 30" and 10" executions, the 'always-on' approach to media has continued the 'front of mind' awareness we achieved throughout 2013, but for the first time we're landing work in the recall and most liked lists.

At St Luke’s HQ we're delighted with the results and recognition from the industry as it brilliantly reflects the hard work that has gone into the campaign from both the team here and Shop Direct. 

Here's to Spring/Summer bringing more success!

Adwatch of the Year

December brings out the reminiscent and celebratory nature in most all of us. It's a time to look back on the achievements of the year, the trials and tribulations we've overcome and look forward to what the new year will bring.

For us at St Luke's it's been a particularly successful year, and this has been topped off by Marketing Magazine's "Adwatch of the Year" feature, which runs down the 20 most effective adverts of the year in terms of memory recall. Adwatch of the Year 2013 celebrates our Shop Direct clients Littlewoods and Very.co.uk as the year's biggest success story. Throughout the year, adverts for both have featured prominently in the weekly brand recall listings during their time on air, but for both to make the top 10 of the year is a fantastic achievement for them and for us!

It's even more remarkable when the budgets for both brands were considerably lower than any other ad in the top 20, making us the best value advertisers of the year!

It's been a fantastic team effort, and has seen both brands making the best creative and effective work they have ever done - from Littlewoods launching their first Kids ad for Ladybird, to Very and their new uber-stylish Definitions brand it's great to see recognition from the ad industry as well as those crucial sales figures increasing.

Time to dust off the awards cabinet!

It's not every day that an advert for a feminine hygiene product is mentioned in the same breath as ones for Nike, BMW or the award hoarding awareness campaign 'Dumb Ways to Die.' However, we're delighted to say that our Mooncup 'Rap Battle' won Bronze for 'Best Original Song' at the London International Awards (LIA) awards in November.

                                               
The London based awards celebrate the creativity and power of ideas in all forms of advertising, digital, branded content, design, production, music and sound. The lyrical flow of our rap battle and its unconventional content stood out amongst some pretty hefty competition, and we're delighted with our bronze trophy.

And the winning doesn't stop there! Our Moments of Truth campaign for Strongbow, which launched earlier this year has also just won a Silver in the Epica Awards in the drinks category.
     
                                

They say things come in threes, and here is our final win (for the moment!) Our Business Director Jonathan Dale has been crowned winner of The Biggr Picture, a competition run by Campaign and Flickr to find the most talented 'extra curricular' Adlander. We're very proud of Jonathan's culinary achievements and his star feature in this week's Campaign.

Interconnected by deeds not words.

Our Managing Director, Dan has written a fantastic article which has been published in both Marketing Magazine and Campaign this month. "Interconnected" breaks down the real truths behind brands and how they act in an increasingly connected, information sharing market place. Brands can no longer get away with claiming excellent service or superb value in the safe confines of outbound communications without proving it in practice, as in the harsh reality of the interconnected world, the nature of such claims will be revealed by how the brand acts. Customers will share their experiences of those actions on social media and price comparison sites with great ease.


                                         

Dan's article goes on to explain the interconnected world in the light of how we work here at St Luke's, with particular mention to our Strongbow, Majestic, Very.co.uk and Littlewoods clients. Our agenda is not only transform a brand's communication ideas, but also the client's business ideas in order to create a strategy that rings true throughout their whole organisation, and create a brand identity which reflects the fundamental truths of their audience, company and product.

I don't want to give the whole article away, you can read it here, and you should. It gives great food for thought on how we can sculpt and encourage organisations to embody their brand identity and be true to themselves in an interconnected world.

Strongbow challenges 'normal' guy to score like a pro

Last night, during the England v Germany match (where we disappointingly lost 0-1), one regular guy stepped up to a challenge. Not during the match, but in the half time ad break in our latest Strongbow challenge.

The Football Challenge is specifically aimed at getting those guys who always claim they could have scored that missed penalty to step up and prove it. Whether it's your mate, brother, boyfriend, husband, or dad - we all know a bloke who likes to shout at the TV and think they could do better. Our guy, Jared Aransibia, was chosen from thousands of applicants, to prepare for a once in a lifetime opportunity of scoring a penalty 'for England' against our fiercest football rivals Germany.

Jared was mentored by legendary former England player and Coach Stuart Pearce and he underwent two days of intense training which saw his stamina levels pushed to the limit by fitness coach and former Olympic sprinter Ade Mafe. This was topped off with a session by leading sports psychologist Dan Abrahams who helped mentally prepare Jared for his 12 yard challenge. He faced Hamburg’s German international goalkeeper Rene ‘Iron Man’ Adler on his home turf in the epic surroundings of the Berlin Olympic stadium.

                           

Sam Fielding, Strongbow Marketing Manager comments "This week’s game between Germany and England was the perfect opportunity for us to introduce Jared's challenge to football fans across the country. Jared stepped up to a once in a lifetime opportunity alongside Coach Stuart Pearce that provided us with some fantastic and engaging content people will love to watch.”

Stuart Pearce said: "We all watch a game from the comfort of our sofa and think we can do better, take that corner or score that penalty. We can all talk a good game but there aren’t many times you get the opportunity to 'walk the walk'. Jared was armed with all the physical and mental tools to score the penalty but the rest was up to him.”

The trailer as aired can be viewed from the image above, and full content following Jared’s journey along with the result of the penalty is live on strongbow.com/football now.

So, what are you waiting for?

Client Services Internship

Fancy becoming part of the team?

We are looking for a Client Services Intern to help support our Account Management team. 

To find out more contact lpoole@stlukes.co.uk for all the details.

Good Luck!

Doing Christmas 2013 in a Very stylish way!

Besides celebrating the birth of Jesus, singing Carols about wise men and eating far too much; Christmas is a time for spoiling each other (and ourselves) with gifts, new outfits and celebrations.

Our 30" Gifting advert for Very celebrates important Christmas preparation tasks such as gift-wrapping, cooking up a storm, hanging decorations and dining with friends, in a beautifully stylish and effortless way. With Very's range of gifts, fashion, homeware and electricals, it's easy to look effortlessly stylish whilst simultaneously delivering the perfect Christmas.  

The ad launches today, 7th November, during Emmerdale (ITV 7pm) and features a remix of the traditional Christmas Carol Silent Night. But this is Silent Night as you've never heard it before! Now well-known for having stand-out soundtracks, this Very spot follows on from our Christmas Partywear ad and the Definitions campaign using original remixes, a motion-control camera, and freeze-frame vignettes.

Fearne Cotton appears in the final scene, celebrating a toast and sumptuous festive feast with her friends. Get ready for a stylish Christmas with Very.co.uk

Check the ad out here or the image above and let us know what you think @stlukescomms.

Our agency Reception display is looking rather Christmassy too now that both Shop Direct clients, Littlewoods and Very have launched their Christmas campaigns!

Ho Ho Ho! Christmas excitement arrives as our Littlewoods advert airs!

It's the first of November which can only mean one thing, Christmas is coming and the best adverts, seasonal songs and  festive jumpers are all heading our way!

 We've been quick off the mark with our campaign for Littlewoods, which launched today. It's set in Santa's workshop in the North Pole, where a girl has posted her letter to Father Christmas, and he starts to read it aloud. Myleene Klass magically wraps presents while Santa's other celebrity helper Mark Wright, is sitting on a shelf, waiting to be chosen as a Christmas gift for a lucky lady. There are a whole host of elves bustling around in the workshop too, to make sure that every child and family gets the presents they deserve, all with the help of the Littlewoods Touch, meaning you can spread the cost of your gifts. We also filmed a Behind the Scenes film, so you can see what it was like on set, and how we made the magic.
The ad features a "Christmassed-up" version of Arlissa's track "Into The Light"  which was featured in the Funfair campaign, and was also directed by Michael Gracey through Partizan.
Let us know what you think, it's given us the Christmas spirit at St Luke's, and there's even more to come this week...

Latest news from St Luke's

It's been a pretty busy time at St Luke's of late, and not only in terms of new work launching. We've welcomed Rose Van Orden as our new Planning Director and she'd been thrown straight in at the deep end, with new business projects and planning strategy for Very.co.uk. Rose joined us from the BBC where she was a senior planner for radio and music, driving insight for stations such as Radio 1 and Radio 4. We're thrilled to have her on board, and she's joined at what is a thriving time for the agency.

We celebrated St Luke's day on the 24th October which marked our 16th birthday. As the UK's longest running independent agency, it is undeniable that there have been some tight spots over the past few years, but St Luke's day gave us the opportunity to celebrate what a fantastic year we've had in 2013. Everyone got up to present the work we've done over the past few months, and we had speeches from CEO Neil Henderson and MD Dan Hulse to keep our motivation and spirits high. Then it was time for the party, with a kid's themed birthday party in the agency then on for a steak feast at the fantastic Sophie's Steakhouse. 

Happy Birthday St Luke's - we're all raring to go for an even better 17th year!

Ding - we're at the top of the charts with Littlewoods Funfair!

We're delighted to have tied at the top spot in Marketing Magazine's Top 10 ads of the week.

The chart of ads is based on those which are most highly recalled for that week, and our delightful Funfair advert and its respective 10" cutdowns have raced to the top of the chart with 44% recall, alongside the anti-smoking campaign Stoptober.

We've received great feedback in industry press and on social media for the campaign, which you can watch below featuring Myleene Klass, Mark Wright and a track from the up and coming singer Arlissa.

Local Business Accelerator Awards announces 2013 winner!

The Local Business Accelerators was an idea born here at St Luke's for our client the Newspaper Society, as a partnership between local papers, fledgling businesses and established business leaders to give businesses a boost with free local advertising and the support of business mentors. When 32.9 million people read a local newspaper every week, making it the most widely read print medium in Britain, it seemed like a great way to encourage both local newspapers and businesses alike.

This esteemed initiative is fronted by national ambassador and Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden and backed by Prime Minister David Cameron. Now in its second year, the 2013 LBA Awards took place this week, where the winning business The York Cocoa House battled against 2,000 local businesses nationwide.

As the 2013 LBA national winner, York Cocoa House will receive a year's business mentoring from Deborah Meaden, a local newspaper ad campaign designed by us at St Luke's and £10k cash from the Business Growth Fund.

It's party time with Very.co.uk

Before you know it it’ll be party season, and in every office across the land colleagues will be dressing to impress and celebrate the festive season.

Our latest ad for Very.co.uk, which launches today (17^th October), is set at a stereotypical office party. As you would expect, there are streamers, cheese and pineapple chunks on sticks and the obligatory festive mistletoe, but continuing from our recent Definitions campaign we present the girls in gorgeous, head-turning outfits from the Very collection to create a much more stylish party than your average office do.

The ad follows a series of vignettes, shot using a motion control camera, which culminate in a final end scene featuring Fearne Cotton. The impressive soundtrack is an original remix of Tainted Love sang by Gloria Jones and remixed by up-and-coming producer Ryan Hemsworth, and is sure to catch your attention every time it comes on your TV.

All the dresses, including Fearne’s from her signature collection, can be shopped online at Very.co.uk, so make your Christmas party a stylish one this year.

Get a sneak peek of the ad by clicking on the image, or catch it on your screens from tonight! Let us know what you think at @stlukescomms.